While the government has been scrambling since March to connect disadvantaged students to the internet so they can learn online during the lockdown, one South Auckland Principal found a way to get his neighbourhood residents to help fill the need.
Luke Sumich, the Principal of Ormiston Junior College in the South-East Auckland suburb of Flatbush, calls it the 'digital cup of sugar' drawing from the old practise of people asking their neighbours for a cup of sugar when they had none.
Now, residents in his school community are offering a cup of megabytes instead to school kids living next door who can’t access online learning during the lockdown because they don’t have wifi at home.
Ormiston Junior College Principal Luke Sumich Photo: supplied
"We knew from the last lockdown that there was a bunch of students that couldn't get online and didn't have wifi at home so we were just looking at ways we could get them connected,” said Sumich.
After recalling how his mother had used her neighbour’s wifi when she first moved into a flat unit last year, an idea sparked in Sumich.
"I thought, look this makes sense. Surely in the old days you could borrow a cup of sugar or some flour from your neighbour - that's what we did. So we decided maybe we could ask some of the neighbours around here if they could help,” said Sumich.
“We had several students at school who were struggling to get connected and after talking to one Mum, she went next door and asked her neighbour's and next thing you know, the kids were online.”
Sumich said it was an opportunity that just seemed simple and easy.
Residents in the local neighbourhood were keen to support the idea and within the first day of asking, five of the school’s students who hadn’t been able to access online learning previously were immediately connected.
"Everybody has said yes and it really just took a little bit of reaching out,” said Sumich.
“It takes a little bit of something to knock on your neighbours door and say “Hi, my kids are at school and I’m just wondering if…” but we felt that there are people out there that want to help but don’t know how and the simplest way could just be to ask your neighbour.
“So overnight we had students connected and teachers were over the moon.”
Students at Ormiston Junior College Photo: supplied
Sumich said he and his staff and been looking at the Ministry of Education’s scheme aimed at trying to get students who don’t have wifi a router but there are many students across the country still waiting.
“There was a long list and the government is certainly working hard to get kids connected but this was just so much more simple. Just knocking on the door and being part of the community.”
“Students told us they had the internet but they were just referring to data on a mobile phone at home. So the whole family is trying to connect through a mobile phone,” said Sumich.
“So I'm calling out and just saying “Let's get out there and just share what we've got” and if it's a virtual cup of sugar then share your megabytes - I think it's a no-brainer.”
The impact of the initiative has been two-fold in connecting students in need to online learning during the lockdown as well as uniting the community around Ormiston Junior College.
“I know the relationship between neighbours who have done that and shared back - there's a connection there that they just would never have had before and I think that the little connections are what our community is about it,” said Sumich.
“Everybody wants to help and sometimes it’s just as simple as asking your neighbour “Is there something I can do for you?” We had the shopping for your neighbour and we've done that here where I live and I just felt that this was a great way to help your neighbours' kids which is probably the biggest gift you could give your neighbour.”
Mr Sumich is calling on New Zealanders to reach out to students in their neighbourhood who may need internet access as opposed to waiting for students in need to ask.
